HIQA finds ‘significant risks’ in Louth/Meath Tusla services

An inspection by the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has found that children in Louth and Meath are waiting too long to receive vital child protection and welfare services, with more than half of all cases in the region unallocated to a social worker.

The inspection, carried out between 6–9 May 2025, assessed Tusla’s Child Protection and Welfare Service in the Louth–Meath area and found “significant risks” in staffing and information management. Of the five national standards assessed, HIQA found the service non-compliant in four areas and only substantially compliant in one.

Inspectors reported that as of early May, there were 1,388 open child protection cases, of which 798 (57%) were awaiting allocation. More than 450 children had no assigned worker at all, while others were being managed by a professional other than a professionally qualified social worker.

HIQA said this meant that “children in the area were not receiving an adequate child protection and welfare service in line with legislation and national standards.”

The report highlights delays in key assessments and poor oversight of safety plans for vulnerable children. In several cases, children referred for protection concerns waited months, and in some cases over a year,for an initial assessment.

Examples included a 12-year-old referred in June 2023 for neglect, whose assessment was not completed until January 2025, and another case where a child reported emotional abuse but had not been met by a social worker for over a year. HIQA escalated 11 individual cases to Tusla during the inspection due to concerns about safety and lack of progress.

While inspectors noted some improvements since the last inspection in 2024 particularly around notifying An Garda Síochána of abuse allegations many of the same governance and staffing issues remained unresolved.

At the time of inspection, there were 15 vacant posts, including management roles. HIQA warned that contingency arrangements to cover gaps were “unsustainable” and posed a risk to effective management and oversight.

The report found staff turnover in the area was 7.5% and absenteeism stood at over 9%. Efforts to recruit new social workers, including graduate and international campaigns, were slow to have an impact.

Tusla told inspectors that while 21 new staff joined the service between April 2024 and April 2025, the same number also left during that period, many citing workload pressures and work–life balance concerns.

Inspectors acknowledged that management and staff were working hard to meet children’s needs despite limited resources, but said “risks in respect to staffing were identified several years previously, and this risk has not been successfully reduced.”

HIQA also criticised Tusla’s information governance, finding ongoing problems with its case management system (TCM). Inspectors found “duplicate profiles, delays in record sign-off and cloned case notes,” which undermined oversight and risk monitoring.

The report described data as “not consistent or accurate in assisting the service to improve efficiency.” 

Only one child agreed to speak with inspectors, and they described being well supported and regularly visited by their social worker. However, HIQA’s file reviews painted a more mixed picture when it came to cases overall, with inconsistent recording and long delays in responding to referrals.

While the majority of referrals were screened promptly and Garda notifications were now being made as required, the agency found “gaps in the service’s capacity to carry out assessments of child protection and welfare concerns in a timely manner,” resulting in “significant periods of waiting for supports and interventions.”

The Louth–Meath service area includes large population centres such as Dundalk, Drogheda and Navan, which together place heavy demand on child welfare services. HIQA noted that Louth is the second most densely populated county in Ireland, while Meath has one of the highest youth dependency ratios in the State factors contributing to increased pressure on Tusla’s local teams.

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The watchdog concluded that the Louth–Meath child protection service “was not achieving compliance with national standards” and urged Tusla to strengthen governance, improve data reliability, and prioritise recruitment to ensure children receive timely and effective support.

Tusla has developed a national compliance and service improvement plan aimed at tackling long-standing issues in child protection and foster care services. The plan sets out actions to improve governance, reduce waiting lists, strengthen information management, and ensure all children are allocated to professionally qualified social workers.

However, HIQA noted that while the Louth–Meath area’s local service improvement plan was mostly aligned with the national plan, progress on key actions had been slow, and “minimal impact could yet be seen” in addressing staffing shortages and delays in services.